Switch-operating device.



No. 759,546. PATENTBD MAY 10, 1904. E. L. PENGE.

SWITCH OPERATING DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED 00T.10, 1903.

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Patented May 10, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD L. FENCE, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

SWITCH-OPERATING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,546, dated May 10, 190d.

Application filed October 10, 1903.

T0 at whom, it may concern..-

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. FENCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Switch- Operating Device, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway-switches, and has for its object to produce an improved device of this character of simple construction and to provide means for automatically operating the same from a passing train.

With these and other objects in View the invention comprises the novel details of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device. Fig. 2is a sectional elevation of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional plan of a portion of the mechanism. Fig. .L is a detail sectional elevation on the line 4: 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a similar View on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view.

Referring to the drawings, 1 1 indicate the movable switch-sections of the usual construction and operation, connected by a bridle-bar 2, having ears 3, which engage the ends of the switches. This bar comprises an upper plate 4 and a lower plate 5, movably connected thereto by bolts 6, engaging longitudinal slots 7 formed in the lower plate. Secured beneath the upper plate is anangleplate 8, having .a vertically depending ear 9, through which extends loosely a rod 10, engaged at one end with an car 11, formed on the inner one end with the plate 5 of bridlebar 2 and at its opposite end with a longitudinally-movable bar 17, which extends transversely of the rails and is in turn pivoted at 18 to a longitudinallymovable operatingshaft 19. This shaft is Serial No. 176,565. (No model.)

mounted at its rear end and susceptible of 1011- gitudinal play in a tubular member or casting 20, having at its forward end a vertical up standing flange 21, arising from its upper side, and a horizontal flange 22, extending from its lower side and riveted or otherwise secured to the rear end of a base-plate 23. This plate extends parallel with and is bent to form a recess 24. beneath the shaft 19 and bar 17, which latter is movably connected to the base-plate by means of bolts 25, engaging longitudinallydisposed slots 26 in the latter. At this point it is to be noted that rearward longitudinal movement of the base-plate will similarly move the bar and through lever 14 and bridle bar 2 operate the switch, While the bar 17 and shaft 19 are susceptible of movement for a similar purpose independently of the base-plate. The member 20, which constitutes, in effect, a continuation of the baseplate 23, is provided adjacent to its rear end with a transverse slot 27, engaged by the crankbend 28 of a rotary vertical lever 29, which may be manually operated for moving the base plate longitudinally and causing the same through the medium of bar 17 and other connections to throw the switch as in the manner just explained.

Mounted upon the shaft 19 is a normally ex panded spring 30, which bears at its rear end upon the end member 20 and at its forward end against an adjustable tension-regulating nut 31, while a second and similar spring 32, carried by the shaft, bears at its forwardend upon an adjustable tension-regulating nut 33 and at its rear end against the forward end of a longitudinally-movable block 34, loosely mounted upon the shaft and bearing in turn at its rear end against a nut 35. This block owing to its engagement with nut 35 when.

its upper wall with an opening 39, normally closed by a lid or cover 39" for the purpose which will later appear. Fixed upon the shaft is a collar 40, carrying a pawl 41, which engages a lug 42 on the pinion, thus fixing the latter for movement in one direction with the shaft to operate the block 34 and move the bar 17 independently of base-plate 23, as above explained, to throw the switch. The bar 17 has owing to the surplus movement of plate 5 a movement somewhat more than sufficient to shift the switches in order to insure positive shifting of the latter, and after having moved sufficiently for this latter purpose the block 34 is locked for maintaining the switches closed by means of a lever 43, pivoted between cars 44, arising from block 34, said lever being adapted to be moved by a spring 45 into engagement with the shouldered head 46 of a member 47, adjustably connected with and projecting forwardly from the member 20. Thus it will be seen that the switch is automatically locked in its closed position and that after the lever 43, which is accessible through the opening 39 and manually operable for the purpose, has been actuated to release the parts the spring 30, which was compressed by the previous movement of the shaft, will automatically actuate the latter for opening the switch. Coincident with the locking of the parts, as just explained, the pawl 41 engages a stop 48 upon the inner face of the casing and is there by released from lug 42, thus freeing the shaft, which has not yet completed its movement, from the pinion and permitting a continuation of such movement of the shaft until its operating-lever 49, fixed upon its upper end, has assumed the dotted position in Fig. 1, its initial position being shown in full lines. The shaft is locked in each of these positions by a leaf-spring 50, secured tothe casing, engaging one of the flattened faces 51 of collar 40.

The lever 49 is operated automatically from a passing train to close the switch by means of a quadrant-shaped member 52,formed,pref erably, from sheet metal and fixed upon a vertical rotary shaft 53, which is operable for moving the member into and out of the path of the lever. At this point it may be said that with the member in its engaging position it will as the train passes contact with the lever 49 and throw the same from its full-line to its dotted-line position, thus throwing and locking the switch, as heretofore explained.

The shaft, which has bearing at its lower end moving the member to non-engaging position,

and thus when circumstances require permit 5 the train to pass a switch without operating the same, I fix upon the shaft 53, adjacent to its upper end, acircular collar 59. Attached to the latter is the outer end of a wire cable 60, secured at its inner end to a piston-head 61, working in a cylinder 62, having a steaminlet pipe 63 communicating therewith and a steam-escape opening 64 provided through its side wall, both in advance of the piston. It is here to be noted that the inlet-pipe is of larger diameter than the discharge-opening, whereby the incoming steam will have suflicient power to operate the piston, but will after its supply is cut ofi escape through the opening 64 and permit the return of the piston to normal position. In the pipe 63 and under control of the engineer is a valve (not shown) for admitting steam to the cylinder to actuate the piston, and thus through the intermediate connections rotate the shaft for swinging the member 52 to non-engaging position, such rotation of the shaft being against the action of the spring 58, which is thereby put under tension; After the switch, which thus remains unoperated, has beenpassed the engineer cuts off the steam to the cylinder and the steam which the latter contains escapes through the opening 64, as above explained, and permits spring 58 to rotate the shaft 53 in the proper direction for again moving member 52 to engaging position. It may here be said that if the member 52 should at any time contact with the lever 49 in a backward direction spring 32 would be compressed by, and allow, block 34 to yield without moving the shaft or affecting the switch, the block being returned to normal position upon the spring again expanding.

From the .foregoing it will be seen that I produce a device of comparatively simple construction which will be efiicient in operation and one which is admirably adapted for the attainment of the ends in view. It is to be understood, however, that in attaining these ends I do not limit or confine myself to the precise details herein set forth, inasmuch as various minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is erating-lever therefor, a member carried by the train for engaging the lever to operate the switch, an operating-shaft for said member, a spring acting upon the shaft to maintain the member normally in engaging position, a cylinder carried by the train, a piston working therein under control of the engineer and a flexible connection between the piston and shaft for actuating the latter to move the member to non-engaging position.

3. The combination with a switch, of a longitudinally-movable bar, operative connections between the bar and switch, means includinga lever for moving the bar to operate the switch, a member carried by the train for engaging and actuating the lever, a fixed shoulder member disposed adjacent to the bar, and. a spring-actuated locking-lever movable with the bar for automatically engaging the shouldered member to lock the bar in switchoperated position.

4. The combination with a switch, of a longitudinally-movable bar, operative connections between the bar and switch, a rack associated with the bar, a lever-operated pinion engaging the rack for moving the bar to operate the switch, a member carried by the train for engaging and actuating the lever, a fixed shouldered member disposed adjacent to the bar, and a spring-actuated locking-lever movable with the bar for automatically engaging the shouldered member to lock the bar in switch-operated position.

5. The combination with a switch, of a longitudinally movable bar, operative 00111160 tions between the bar and switch, means including a lever for moving the bar to operate the switch, a member carried by the train for engaging and actuating the lever, means for automatically locking the bar in switch-operated position, and means for automatically actuating the bar when released to open the switch.

6. The combination with a switch, of a lon gitudinally-movable bar, a spring disposed thereon, operative connections between the bar and switch, means including a lever for moving the bar against the action of the spring to close the switch, a member carried by the train for engaging and actuating the lever, and means for automatically locking the bar in switch-closing position, said spring being adapted to automatically actuate the bar when released to open the switch.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD L. PEN GE.

l/Vitnesses:

J N0. F, BOLAND, E. E. GILBERT. 

